The countries of the Balkans region are neither major energy producers nor consumers. Although the region does hold some important fossil fuel deposits, these resources are not significant on a world scale, and the political and economic instability in the Balkans in recent years has discouraged any substantial foreign investment in the respective countries' energy sectors. Rather, the region is becoming more important as a transit center for Russian and Caspian Sea region oil exports to Western consumers. The region's leading transit projects are listed below.